Method for operating a building closure

ABSTRACT

A method for operating a building closure having the shape of an overhead sectional door or of a garage door including at least one spring-loaded counterweight device and an electrical drive device is disclosed. A control unit simultaneously monitors the position of the building closure and a motor current for the drive device. When the building closure is in an open or a closed position, the motor current is reduced and maintained at a level to residually energize the drive device to reliably maintain the building closure in a desired position.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application No.13/304,830 filed Nov. 28, 2011, which will issue as U.S. Pat. No.9,057,217 on Jun. 16, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety. This application also claims the benefit of Germanapplication No. DE 10 2011 107 867.7 filed Jul. 18, 2011 and Germanapplication No. DE 10 2010 052 623.1 filed Nov. 29, 2010.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates to a method for operating a building closure,preferably having the shape of an overhead sectional door or of a garagedoor including a spring-loaded counterweight device and an electricaldrive device, which is charged by a control apparatus.

Such a door is revealed for example in the document DE 10 2006 1011 305B4 as well as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,391.

Generally, building closure of the aforementioned species require acounterweight force which allows for moving the door leaf, eithermanually or by means of an electrical drive device, more easily betweenthe open position and the closed position without any problems. Overheaddoor systems very often depend on one or more torsion springs to providesaid counterweight force.

SUMMARY

As the forces, developed by the torsion spring, vary depending on theexecution of the door and as a result of tolerances, it is difficult toprecisely maintain the open position of a door. A maximum open positionof the door is desired in order to have the entire passage openingavailable. However, in this open position, the torsion springcounteracts the strongest the force developed by the drive unit, whichmay result in failure to achieve a maximum opening width.

Another arising problem is that, when in the closed position, such abuilding closure should absolutely not be manually pushed open withoutauthorization. Currently utilized motors usually have a gear, whichincludes a self-locking device. However, this self-locking device can beovercome when applying sufficient force. Separate push-open securitydevices and additional locks are often too expensive.

Therefore, it is the object of the invention, on the one hand to find asolution for the shortfalls of the state-of-the-art in the openposition, respectively to likewise provide a solution when the door isin the closed position. In this case, expensive solutions, such asequipping the motor with an auxiliary winding and energizing the latterin the terminal positions should be foregone. Furthermore, mechanicalinterlocking units are not desired either, because they would increasethe cost for such a building closure.

In a first preferred embodiment, a method for operating a buildingclosure is proposed, preferably including at least one program, which,depending on the type and dimension of the door, is variable orautomatically adaptable to operate a building closure in the shape of anoverhead sectional door or of a garage door or the like including aspring-loaded counterweight device and an electrical drive device, whichis charged by a control apparatus, in that the measured parameters ofthe building closure and of the installation situation thereof arestored in the control apparatus after a completed learning run, and thenserve as the reference for the following operation of such a buildingclosure. Based on the provided reference information, and in conjunctionwith a position detection unit, it is possible to always determine theexact position of the door leaf. In this case, the position detectionunit may be directly connected to the electrical motor, respectively toa gear which is connected thereto, i.e. a direct or indirect movement ofthe building closure is detected. Such a position detection device ispreferably configured as an absolute position detection device. At thesame time, depending on the position of the building closure, at leastone program in the control apparatus performs monitoring and changingthe motor current along the entire travel path and in the terminalpositions of the building closure.

When the building closure reaches, for example the open position, thegear motor needs to compensate for the largest force resulting from thecounteracting torsion spring and the counterweight. So that the buildingclosure does not accidentally leave the open position on account of thecounteracting forces, energizing the drive device is not suspended by atleast one program or by program steps, instead residual energizing ofthe control apparatus is maintained. This amount of residual currentgenerates a counteracting force, such that the building closure does notmove into the non-desired opposite direction, and this in both the openposition and the closed position. So to speak, in this position, themotor forces need to be brought to equilibrium with the prevailingcounteracting forces, for example by means of the counterweight or thelike. This represents a permanent process, which is likewise permanentlymonitored and maintained by the control apparatus. It is therebypossible to always and reliably maintain the building closure in theopen position, also in spite of aging and modifications.

In another preferred embodiment, it is desired the above describedbuilding closure be kept in the closed position while withstandingviolent external forces. This is achieved in that, after having closedthe door, a low residual current is continued to be applied to themotor. The residual energizing is so important that manually opening thebuilding closure by force is not possible, because the motor permanentlypushes the building closure into the closed position. In this caseagain, on account of permanent monitoring and thus likewise permanentcorrective controlling of the energizing by the control apparatus, forexample in the event of opening the building closure by force, thecontrol apparatus will proceed to modify, respectively to maintain theresidual energizing of the drive device such that in each case, in itsclosed position, the building closure device is kept closed. Thereforethe building closure is thus reliably prevented from being forciblyopened.

In another preferred embodiment of the above described building closure,both the open position and the closed position may be charged in thesame way by residually energizing the drive device, such that the dooris reliably maintained in both the open position and the closedposition.

For the above described methods, the control apparatus is configured toinclude a microprocessor and appropriate memories for the differentprograms in that a programmed automatic adaptation to the necessarypower requirement of the drive device in the terminal positions isautomatically adapted or controlled, likewise if the parameters of thebuilding closure are modified.

Therefore, each time the building closure stands still, the controlapparatus maintains a permanent residual energizing of the drive device.

Now, if the motor receives a start instruction from a remote control orthe like, the implemented programs deliver a soft-start-current withincreasing intensity to the motor. This makes the motor start softly andtherefore likewise the building closure starts softly to move. Whenreaching a maximum energizing of the motor, this soft-start-currentchanges to a traction current, such that the door moves at a greaterspeed than at the soft-start. Prior to reaching the open position, theprogram control issues a soft-stop instruction, which has the effect toreduce the motor current along the traveling path. In this case, themotor current is not abruptly reduced, instead it is slowly scaled downfollowing a curve. This means, the motor travels slowly to a terminalposition and thus into the open position or the closed position.Reaching the terminal position is communicated to the control apparatusby the position detection device and the required residual energizing ofthe drive motor is effected by a program step or individual programs.The residual energizing of the motor in the open position is maintaineduntil the subsequent closing procedure of the building closure isperformed. As the intensity of the residual energizing is very low, whencompared to the traction current, heating of the drive device whenpermanently operated is excluded.

During a closing procedure, the above described different energizing ofthe drive motor along the traveling path is likewise performed inanalogous manner, and likewise in the closed position, a residualcurrent is applied to the drive motor.

In order to realize such an electrical drive device for operating abuilding closure of the aforementioned type according to the abovedescribed methods, in this case a pulse-width modulation may be used forexample. By means of different pulse/spacing intervals of the currentdirected to the electrical motor of the drive device, such a pulse-widthmodulation determines the number of revolutions of the electrical motor.In this case, current is supplied to the electrical motor during apulse, whereas the flow of the current to the electrical motor isinhibited during the spacing preset by the pulse-width modulator.

Another preferred mode to realize the above described methods fordifferent energizing by means of a program, consists for example inutilizing a phase angle control for the drive motor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following, the invention will be described in more detail basedon the Figures, reference being made to the embodiment examples; inwhich:

FIG. 1: shows characteristic lines representing on the one hand themotor current along the path, respectively over the time; in the middlethe spring force of the torsion spring, and on the bottom the positionmeasuring;

FIG. 2: shows a block diagram on energizing the motor by means of aprogram.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In FIG. 1, three diagrams are disposed one above the other, in which theX-axis respectively represents the path or the time. In the first upperdiagram, the motor current is indicated at I on the Y-axis. The diagrambelow represents the counteracting force N of the torsion spring or thelike, and the one below represents the individual pulses of the positiondetection device. The motor current at the non-illustrated motor isalways set to an amount of a residual current 7, i.e. the motor currentwill never drop to zero. This means, the motor is permanently energizedby a very low residual current 7, even at times when the buildingclosure stands still, which can be seen in the diagram of the motorcurrent characteristic line 1. When issuing a start instruction, forexample for opening a connected building closure, a soft-start-currentinstruction 13 is issued, which follows the curve of thesoft-start-current 4 with a current progressively increasing along theopening path. When reaching the maximum current, this soft-start-currentcurve 4 changes to a traction current curve 5. Prior to reaching theopen position, which is determined by the position detection device andcorrespondingly processed in the control apparatus by the appropriateprograms, the motor current is reduced, which translates to asoft-stop-current curve 6, as represented in the motor currentcharacteristic line 1. When reaching the terminal position 10, the drivemotor receives the information, that, due to lacking information fromthe position detection device 3, the terminal position is reached. Thelacking pulses 9 result in that the motor current is set again to theresidual energizing 7. This residual energizing 7 is not set to 0, butto a required low amount adapted to the system. At the same time, thespring force characteristic line 2 with a spring force curve 8 revealsthat, when reaching the terminal position 10, the maximum spring force(counteracting force) is prevailing in the open position of the buildingclosure. During a subsequent closing procedure of the building closure,the entire energizing of the motor is realized in a reversed manner. Asthe position detection device is directly connected to the motor or tothe gear or drive means of the door moving parts, it is possible toexactly detect the motor motion, respectively the motor revolutions,because it is directly connected to the building closure.

Should the building closure be manipulated in the closed position, anopening force is produced, which acts against the residual current 7.This manipulation to attempt unauthorized opening of the buildingclosure inevitably results in a rotational movement of the motor andthus to a detection at the position measuring device. This entails atthe same time an increase of the motor current, namely in the directionof the closed position, because the utilized programs have not given anyinstruction to have the motor start moving in the open direction.

FIG. 2 illustrates again the programmed sequence of energizing themotor. The motor is permanently charged by the residual current 7, whichis effected by a residual current instruction 11. When a motor startinstruction 12 is triggered by a remote control or a manual switch, thesoft-start instruction 13 is issued by a program, which results in asteady increase of the motor current up to a level of the maximum motorcurrent set by the traction current instruction 14. Prior to reachingthe desired terminal position, a soft-stop instruction 15 is issued onaccount of the predetermined current reduction, which effects areduction of the motor current until the terminal position is reached.Once the terminal position 10 is reached, in which no information isissued by the position measuring device, the residual currentinstruction 11 is automatically issued and results in performing acorrespondingly preset and changeable residual energizing of the drivemotor.

No mechanical limit switches are provided in such a system.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for controlling a building closurebetween an open position and a closed position, the method comprising:applying a residual current to a motor operably engaged with thebuilding closure at a first static position; receiving an instruction ofa current characteristic line defining a terminal position and arelationship between a current and a position of the building closurebetween and including the open position and the closed position, whereinat least a portion of the current characteristic line depicts a positiveprogressive relationship and another portion of the currentcharacteristic line depicts a negative progressive relationship betweenthe current and the position of the building closure; applying thecurrent of the current characteristic line to the motor; and uponreaching the terminal position, applying the residual current to themotor at the terminal position for holding the building closure still.2. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the currentapplied to the motor and the position of the building closure.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, further comprising modifying the residual current inthe series of instructions to hold the building closure at the sameterminal position under different loading conditions.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, wherein modifying the residual current is performed using apulse-width modulation control or a phase angle control.
 5. The methodof claim 4, wherein modifying the residual current updates the currentcharacteristic line in the series of instructions applied to the motor.6. The method of claim 2, wherein the current characteristic line of theseries of instructions includes at least a soft-start current, atraction current, and a soft-stop current.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein the current characteristic line is configurable for use withdifferent types.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal positionis either between the open position and the closed position or includingthe open position or the closed position.
 9. The method of claim 1,further comprising receiving a residual current instruction, a motorstart instruction, a soft start instruction, a traction currentinstruction, and a soft stop instruction.
 10. A method for operating abuilding closure between an open position and a closed position, themethod comprising: supplying a residual current to a motor forgenerating a corresponding torque; holding the building closure at astatic position using the corresponding torque; supplying an instructionof a current characteristic line defining a terminal position and arelationship between a current and a position of the building closureeither between the open position and the closed position or includingthe open position or the closed position, wherein at least a portion ofthe current characteristic line depicts a positive progressiverelationship and another potion of the current characteristic linedepicts a negative progressive relationship between the current and theposition of the building closure; actuating the building closureaccording to the instruction; and upon reaching the terminal position,generating the corresponding torque with the residual current formaintaining the building closure at the terminal position.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, further comprising updating the currentcharacteristic line in the instruction by monitoring the current and theposition for respectively actuating and holding the building closure toand at the terminal position.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein theinstruction is configurable for different loading conditions based onthe motor power and reaction forces from actuating the building closure.13. The method of claim 10, wherein the current characteristic linefurther comprises a soft-start current, a traction current, and asoft-stop current.
 14. The method of claim 10, further comprising aseries of instructions including a residual current instruction, a motorstart instruction, a soft start instruction, a traction currentinstruction, and a soft stop instruction.